Meet Candy James Beard!

James Beard was the earliest TV chef, first appearing on TV in 1946.  He was also the author of many classic cookbooks, a restaurateur, food shop owner, cooking teacher, essayist about food, and basically the center of the American culinary world from the 1940's until 1985.  Interestingly, he started out wanting to be an actor but when that didn't work out lucratively, he turned to catering and found lasting success in the world of food. I absolutely love James Beard.  I don't think I've ever actually seen him on TV, but I've read many of his books about food and he is a person I just can't help but love because of his great enthusiasms for things like onion and mayonnaise sandwiches, and the partnership of cinnamon toast and hot chocolate.  Once you've read one of his writings rhapsodically praising a certain food, you can never eat it again without thinking of him and feeling a little bit luckier to be eating it. I think I'll have some cinnamon toast and hot chocolate and think about that!